by Robin Perini
Leo whined and butted Ethan's hand. The boy patted the dog and stared up at the animal who'd saved his life. "Can I pet her?"
"In a minute." He took Ethan aside. "Stay here."
Blake scrambled into the gully and turned off the still-rumbling tractor. "I owe Maddox a big one," he muttered, before climbing out of the ditch. He saw his savings dwindling mightily once he settled the debt.
Ginger walked over to where Ethan stood and nudged his hand with her nose. He looked scared but fascinated by the big animal. Blake strode over to them, his heart racing, but he forced himself to remain calm. "You can pat her nose. She's a sweet one."
Ethan reached out a tentative hand and touched her gently. The horse snorted and he laughed. "She's breathing hard."
"She worked hard to save your life," Blake said. "So did Leo. You could've been hurt."
Ethan looked down at the ground and scuffed it with his tennis shoes. "I wanted to play."
Unbelievable. He'd forgotten how resilient kids could be. After everything Ethan had been through, Blake would've thought the kid wouldn't want any more adventures. He grabbed the horse's mane. "Get on. Your mom's going to be worried."
Ethan bit his lip. "Do you have to tell her?"
"No, but you do." Blake grabbed Ethan by the waist and settled him onto Ginger.
Blake mounted the horse behind Ethan and guided the boy's hand to her mane. "Hold her here, but don't pull tight. Leo, come."
Ethan gripped the long hair and bowed his head. "I don't want to tell Mommy. I don't want her to cry again."
When Ethan was steady, Blake clicked his tongue and squeezed Ginger's flank. She settled into a walk. "Does your mom cry a lot?"
"At night. All the time. She doesn't think I know, but I hear her. She's afraid she's not a good mommy." Ethan twisted around, his face fierce. "But she is. She's the best mommy ever."
Blake swallowed at the boy's protective attitude. The kid was loyal to the bone. Amanda had done a good job.
"She loves you."
As they closed in on the ranch house, Blake could see Amanda standing near the barn, her arms crossed, glaring at them.
"She also gets really mad sometimes," Ethan whispered. He looked up at Blake. "Are you sure I have to tell her?"
"What do you think?"
Ethan let out an aggrieved sigh. Blake stopped Ginger, slid off the horse and set Ethan down.
Amanda ran to him, knelt in front of her son and clasped his shoulders. "Haven't I told you never to leave without telling me?"
"I just wanted to play." Ethan stared at her defiantly.
She sank on her heels. "You know better than to get on a big piece of equipment by yourself. You scared me."
"I'm sorry, Mommy." He bowed his head.
"I love you, Ethan. Just tell me when you want to play next time. Okay?"
His eyes brightened. "Did you see me on the horse? Her name is Ginger. She saved my life."
Amanda looked over at Blake, her eyes warm with thanks. "I know exactly who saved you, honey. Introduce me to Ginger?"
Ethan grabbed her hand and took her over to the quarter horse. As he described their adventure, Blake couldn't help but notice the awareness in Amanda's eyes or the way she kept staring at him. His body hardened, and he knew one thing for certain: As soon as she was well, he'd finally know what it felt like to take Amanda, to have her, to bury himself inside her.
He also knew another hard and fast fact: next time, he wouldn't be a gentleman.
* * *
AMANDA TRIED TO FOCUS on Ethan's excited chattering, the dog glued to his side. Her heart warmed at his broad movements and his over-the top description of Blake and Ginger riding to his rescue. This was the boy she remembered. Somehow, in saving her son, Blake had unlocked the fear around Ethan's heart.
She glanced over at the man she'd been forced to rely on while he rubbed down Ginger and returned her to the corral. If Blake hadn't snatched Ethan from the tractor... Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She'd almost lost him three times in the last three days. She wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap to protect him, but she knew she couldn't.
Only one man could help them.
Blake didn't hide the heat in his gaze, or the want in his eyes. She squirmed under the passion-filled look. Her pulse leaped, her body responded, as if she were calling to him, waiting for him. She crossed her hands over her breasts and pebbling nipples. She shot him an aggravated glare. His eyebrow shot up as he scanned her body, lingering on her chest, then moving down to her hips and legs.
Ethan tugged at her pants. "You aren't listening."
"I'm sorry, little man--"
A muffler backfire sounded from a distance. Ethan shouted out in fear, but instead of clinging to Amanda, he ran over to Blake and jumped into his arms.
"Get to the house," Blake snapped, his voice tense and urgent. He hugged Ethan tight and ran behind Amanda.
She shoved inside, and as soon as Blake raced through the door, closed it.
"Turn off the lights," Blake said as Ethan clung to him. "I don't want any sign we're here."
Amanda hurried around the room on one side, flipping switches while Blake took the other, still weighted down with Ethan.
Her heart ached. Her son's message couldn't be more clear. She couldn't protect him. Or save him. Blake could.
Just as she flipped the last light, she caught sight of the intruder through a gap in the curtains. A truck lumbered next to the barn--unbelievably, a vehicle older than the ancient one they'd used to escape.
Blake leaned over her shoulder. "The Collins kid," he said. "He takes care of Maddox's horses. If we stay quiet, he'll do his thing and move on. Get away from the front windows. I don't want to attract his attention."
With Ethan still clinging to him, Blake led her to a small, formal living room off the great room. Because it faced the back of the house, they were out of sight.
Blake knelt down, but Ethan just wrapped his arms tighter around Blake's neck. He sat on an oddly shaped sofa, looking much too big for the furniture, and planted Ethan on his lap.
"We're safe, buddy. That noise was just an old car."
Ethan peered up at Blake, his expression solemn. "Not a gun? You're not going to get dead like Uncle Vince?"
Amanda bit her lip to keep a cry from escaping. She started toward him, but Blake sent her a small shake of his head, and she paused.
"Where's your truck, buddy?"
Ethan stuck his thumb in his mouth. "In the tent."
Blake met Amanda's gaze, and she nodded. She didn't know what he was planning, but Ethan had started talking a bit about that night for the first time outside of his nightmares. She strode down the hall and after locating the truck headed back to the living room.
"I need your help, buddy," Blake said, his voice echoing from the formal living room. "Tell me what happened that night."
Amanda's breath caught as she hurried into the room. Ethan's frightened gaze flew to his mother's and he shook his head. "I can't talk about it."
"I need you to tell me, Ethan."
He shook his head back and forth. "I can't. I can't."
Amanda knelt beside the sofa and pulled Ethan into her arms. "That's enough," she hissed. "It's too much for him."
"We need to know," Blake said, his hand on her arm. "Until we do, we're sitting ducks."
"There's got to be another way," Amanda said.
She pushed the truck at Ethan to try to distract him, but he shoved it away and crawled off the couch to a small nook beneath an end table. He wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth, muttering, "Don't talk. Be quiet."
He repeated the phrase over and over. Leo plopped down beside Ethan and whined, but even the dog couldn't offer her son any comfort. Amanda's heart ached for him. She scooted closer and gazed up at Blake. "Find another way," she repeated.
He shoved his hand through his hair as he stared at Ethan. "There's only one other option. I could go to Austin and search Vinc
e's house."
Amanda reeled back on her heels. The idea of returning there... "We can't. It's too dangerous."
"You're not going anywhere. I know of a safe place you can stay. I'll go."
Half of her wanted to huddle with Ethan--protected and hidden--and to convince Blake to go with them, but his resolute expression was unbending.
"What if they're waiting for you?"
"I'm a cop, Amanda. I can handle myself. Besides, I have no choice. I have to go to Austin if you and Ethan want a chance at a normal life."
Amanda stroked her son's head, knowing what she had to do. "You can't search the entire house by yourself." She paused. "This place you want us to hide. It's really safe?"
"Logan's ranch is a fortress."
"You trust him."
"With my life."
"With Ethan?"
Blake nodded carefully. "What are you thinking, Amanda?"
She stood up and faced him, her own resolve strengthening. Now was the time to show her belief in Blake. To show Ethan his mother would protect him. "How long will the trip take?"
"If Logan loaned us a plane and pilot, we can be there and back in a half day."
Amanda took a deep breath. "Then I'm going with you. Now that I know Vince was hiding something, I can look for what's out of place. It'll take a lot less time than you on your own."
"It could be dangerous."
She shivered at the intensity of his gaze. "Any more than what we've already faced?"
Blake let out a long, slow sigh. "Probably not."
"Then I'm going. For Ethan's future. For the future Joey never had. Besides, you'll protect me. Right?"
"With my life." Blake grabbed his Glock. "Gather up everything. First thing tomorrow, we'll head to Austin and find that evidence."
Chapter Six
Early morning light slipped through the wooden slats of the Redmond barn. "That damn horse should be put down," Johnson muttered as he sidestepped the open stalls down the barn's aisle. He gave the one beast in the abandoned building a wide berth. "Last time, the thing almost killed me."
"Yeah. He came in handy, though," Detective Farraday chuckled. "Got rid of a suspicious witness, and drove Blake back to this Podunk town all in one shot."
Johnson shivered at the satisfied expression in the homicide cop's eyes. The man scared him. He didn't know how Farraday had passed the mental exam for the police department. He was one step removed from a psychopath. Maybe less than a step. Farraday liked hurting people. Liked watching them die. He and that horse should get a house together.
For a countless time in the last few days, Johnson's instincts fired another warning. He had to find a way out of this mess. The horse whinnied and pounded his hooves against the ground of his stall. If Johnson got out of this barn alive.
"I'm going through every inch of this hay-infested nightmare," Farraday said. "Be just like Blake to hide the evidence with this devil horse."
"If you don't want to get trampled, help me chase him into the corral. I don't know why he came back." Johnson cautiously moved toward the stallion's stall and shot Farraday an irritated glare. "I'm not going into that monster's den while he's there. That's suicide."
"Hang tough, coward." Farraday smiled at Johnson as he searched one of the adjoining stalls and let out a sharp curse. "Damn Blake and this cowtown. Just stepped in it. No file. No disk. No nothing." He slammed his hand against the wood. "We don't even know what we're looking for. Let's just torch the whole place. House, barn, everything." He scraped his fine leather shoe against the hay. "Sh--"
"Boss doesn't want to call attention. And he wants to be sure."
"He's gone soft."
"You tell him that."
Farraday exited the stall and limped across the barn. He slammed his fist on the tackbox. "Where the hell is it? The bitch must have met up with Blake because of the evidence." He rubbed his knee, then his bandaged left arm. "She's gonna pay. I can't wait to get at her."
The horse whinnied and darted toward Farraday. "But not before I kill that animal."
Farraday pulled out his Glock and aimed it at the horse's head. It snorted and slammed against the side of the barn, eyes wild. Johnson's heart pounded as he ducked out of the way of the crazed animal.
"Are you out of your mind? A bullet hole in a horse's brain will set off alarm bells."
"Tough. Locals will probably think Blake finally killed the horse for taking out his dad." The beast charged Farraday. "We're gonna kill them all anyway. I think that'll get noticed."
"Boss wants it done smart."
A rumbling sound broke through the argument. Johnson stilled. When the engine's purr grew louder, he cursed inside. Just what he needed when Farraday had the red eye. Maybe the vehicle had taken a wrong turn.
The car stopped. Figured. This entire situation had cratered. He should've taken his family and run when he had the chance. "Quiet. Someone's outside."
"Sheriff? You here?" A voice called out.
Johnson peeked around the doorway. Deputy's car. A young man climbed out of the vehicle and studied the area. Of all the luck. The damn horse pranced and rammed into the side of the barn.
The deputy snapped his head toward the building.
"Thanks a lot," Johnson muttered at the horse. He shot a sidelong glance at Farraday. He recognized the frenzied excitement. The deputy was toast, and he didn't even know it.
"Don't," Johnson protested, hoping to drag common sense back into his partner. "We should hide behind the barn until he leaves and finish the search.
Farraday smiled and pulled a batch of firecrackers out of his pocket. "We have a perfect weapon." He glanced at the stallion. "He did it for us once."
The deputy pushed open the barn door. "Sheriff Redmond? You here? Parris asked me to check the place out."
He walked in just enough, and Farraday shoved him toward the horse. The deputy stumbled to the center of the barn and whirled around.
"What the hell--" His voice trailed off as his eyes cleared in recognition. "The Austin cops."
"Sorry, kid," Farraday said.
He wasn't sorry, though. His eyes gleamed as he set off the firecrackers.
The horse raised up, wild-eyed. The deputy turned around and raised his hands. "No, Sugar. Calm down."
The horse stomped down on the deputy, slamming hooves against the man's head. He fell to the ground, unmoving.
Farraday opened the barn door and waved the panicked horse out. He picked up the pieces of the firecracker and shoved them in his pocket. "Worked like a charm the second time, too. Blake'll put the horse down this time for sure. He'll blame himself. Like it should be."
Johnson watched with shock as Farraday stepped over the kid's unmoving body, without a care or a hint of regret.
"Why do you hate Blake so much?"
Farraday looked up from the demon horse's stall, his gaze so ice-cold that Johnson shivered. "He put my name in front of IA. The investigation nearly cost me my pension. Did cost me my wife and kid. He's going to pay, and I'm gonna pull the trigger."
* * *
AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT of dreams in which Amanda had her way with every inch of Blake's body and a suitably cold shower the next morning, he bundled Amanda, Ethan and Leo into the SUV from the Maddoxes' garage. In some ways Blake hated to leave. They were safe here; Amanda would have a chance to heal. Problem was, he had no telling how long it would last.
He could run, take them into hiding, but his gut churned at the idea of letting these guys get away with murder. He couldn't let that happen. For Joey. And for Ethan.
The Austin cops were still in his town. Everyone was at risk as long as they were here. No telling what they'd do. Parris could handle most anything, but he shouldn't have to. The perps hadn't just come to Carder because of Amanda. This showdown became inevitable the moment Blake had refused to go in with Vince. The moment Kathy and Joey had died.
The more Blake thought about it, the more he believed Amanda. His ex-wife and son h
ad probably been murdered. His gut burned. The cops had blamed Kathy for losing control, but if she'd been anything it was overly cautious. He'd been too devastated at the time to question the investigators. Now, he wanted another look at those reports.
Blake scooted behind the steering wheel and shoved the keys into the ignition.
"I feel bad about taking your friend's car." Amanda pulled the seat belt across her lap and glanced in the backseat at Ethan and Leo, who never seemed to be more than a foot from each other.
"The guys who attacked my ranch know what we're driving. We can't afford to attract their attention. The SUV will blend in. The old truck doesn't, even in these parts," Blake said, tilting his Stetson back. "Besides, old man Maddox knows who it belongs to. He borrowed the rustbucket from my dad enough times."
"At least we have more room. You like Leo, don't you, little man?"
Ethan grinned and hugged the dog's neck. "I love him. He's my best friend."
"I know."
Amanda's face turned sad and solemn as Ethan snuggled close to the dog, then whispered to Leo, lost in his own world once more.
"He feels safe with the mutt," Blake said, his voice low. "He'll remember his old friends soon enough."
"That's just the thing. He didn't have any friends. We moved too much because of Carl's next big deal."
"Should I be looking over our shoulder for him?" Blake hadn't considered her ex until now. He didn't like the idea of another man touching her, holding her. Ever. But the man was Ethan's father. Blake would have tracked down Kathy across the country or the world if she'd taken Joey away. "Would he have followed you to see Ethan?"
She let out a cynical laugh. "If someone offered him money to find me, he'd be looking, but he'd screw it up. Probably get himself killed."
"He never sees Ethan?"
Amanda glanced into the backseat, and Blake took a quick look in the rearview mirror. Ethan was completely enthralled in a conversation with Leo.
"He promises. Never shows." Amanda's voice was a mere whisper. "I quit telling Ethan so he wouldn't be disappointed."
"And you weren't."
Amanda shrugged. "I don't matter."
